DA says Abrahams should do the right thing and immediately withdraw the charges against Pravin Gordhan - and resign The Democratic Alliance says reports show that National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP) Shaun Abrahams ignored vital evidence in his decision to charge Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan and two former top South African Revenue Service (SARS) officials for alleged fraud.It said reports also showed that the Hawks had conducted what could only be described as a cursory investigation. In light of this‚ Abrahams should do the right thing and immediately withdraw the charges - and resign‚ the party said.Gordhan is accused‚ in his previous capacity as head of SARS‚ of fraudulently approving an early retirement for then deputy commissioner Ivan Pillay and re-hiring him as a consultant‚ which cost SARS R11 million. Pillay and former SARS commissioner Oupa Magashula are Gordhan’s co-accused in the impending trial due to start on November 2.City Press reported on Sunday that Abrahams was considering dropping the charges‚ but Reuters subsequently quoted him as saying that he had yet to decide whether or not to proceed with the case.DA spokesperson on justice Adv Glynnis Breytenbach said on Sunday that court papers filed by the Helen Suzman Foundation showed that Abrahams‚ and the Hawks‚ guided by Torie Pretorius‚ had purposefully ignored evidence that shows the granting of early retirement was not an unusual practice. “Reports today also suggest that the Hawks had not yet properly completed their investigation‚ that the docket handed to Abrahams was not complete and lacked vital evidence. “This only confirms the capture of both the NPA and the Hawks by those who wish to use these institutions to carry out political witch hunts‚” Breytenbach charged. “The Hawks have resorted to shocking bully tactics in their investigation and have stooped to locking up the SARS Deputy Director of Law Administration‚ Vlok Symington‚ in the SARS boardroom. They then demanded that he hand over copies of an email from an attorney for SARS‚ David Makapela‚ and manhandled him when he refused. Symington declined to depose to an affidavit on the Gordhan charges due to ethical reasons. “Now it appears that Abrahams is trying to worm his way out of this mess by saying that he had no part in the decision to go ahead with the charges. He cannot expect the South African public to believe that as NDPP he had no say in or was not consulted on the decision‚” Breytenbach stated.She accused Abrahams of having “a rather unfortunate history of not taking responsibility for bad decisions”.“He blamed the decision to withdraw charges against Jiba on the hapless Marshall Mokgathle‚ and blames this shocker on Torie Pretorius. Someone should tell him the buck stops with him. “The only proper thing for Abrahams to do would be to withdraw the charges against Gordhan‚ Pillay and Magashula‚ admit that he is not up to the task‚ and resign. Along with his henchman‚ Torie Pretorius‚” Breytenbach asserted...